Week 6 Deep Pantry/Food Storage Challenge

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

A deep pantry a good thing to have.

I am going to start something new this week. I want to add a place where you can share what you were able to do this week to fill your deep pantry. To start off I am going to add it to the bottom of the challenge every week and then if I have a good response I will move it to its own post. Please fill free to comment on others comments I would like it to be a place to also share ideas or sales you have found, anything having to do with a deep pantry/food storage.

So for this week

10 Pounds powdered Milk. Wal-Mart has powdered milk 64 oz. for 15.98. According to the Passport to Survival nonfat powder milk will last for over 15 years when stored in a dry cool place. Some people say to repackage your milk and some say not to. I have some several years old that I didn’t repackage and it has been fine to cook with, I don’t drink milk so I am not sure how it would taste to drink it, I have heard that if you add a little vanilla to the old powder milk it helps with the taste if you have to drink it. You can also get Nido it is a full fat milk. I have heard that you can make butter from it I haven’t tried yet but plan to in the near future.

10 Pounds Pasta, Wal-Mart has most pasta for 1.00 a pound. If you plan on making your own just put back a little more wheat or flour, you can make it without eggs but if you want to use eggs just store a little extra egg powder. Watch for sales, I have been able to get some at City Market for 5o cents.

Are you getting your garden planned and seeds ordered to get started on a garden as soon as the weather permits? Your local extension office should have a planting guide as to when to plant the different things.

Keep putting back water, fill your own containers or buy a few gallons to store.

Add a little more to your money stash, remember every little bit helps and it all adds up.

I didn’t get much done this week. I got my lemons put up. Some butter made and put in the freezer, Got my seed catalog so I am trying to plan what I am going to grow this year. I am wanting to add a few extra things that I haven’t tried yet. That is about all I got done this week with trying to get the house ready for company next week.

So what did you do this week to add to your deep pantry? Please feel free to comment.

Have a great week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20 Replies to “Week 6 Deep Pantry/Food Storage Challenge”

  1. Nina

    I pressured canned 13 quarts of vegetable beef soup this week. I had a frig full of leftover food, from stir-fried rice to a huge beef roast and lots of leftover veggies. I added to that some of my own homegrown canned potatoes, carrots, tomato sauce, beef broth and dehydrated onion tops along with my dried herbs. Nothing had to be bought! What a pot full of goodness!! I do my very best not to waste anything and soup is one of the most simple and economical ways I have to move old canned veggies out to get ready for new veggies from the garden. It’s a great way to rotate!!

    By the way, I really appreciate your blog. It’s very motivating! Thanks.

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Nina,
      Thank you, I love having soup canned up it is so know that when busy you can just open a jar of homemade soup, so much tastier then store bought. I also try to not waste and try to dry, can or freeze things to keep from losing them.
      Have a great day and Thanks for responding to the question. 🙂
      Connie

  2. Julie

    I’m new to your blog so just wanted to say hi and tell you this is very interesting. I keep a good pantry at home, canning vegetables making my own sauces but nothing on the scale that you keep. I’m made to feel quite bad by my friends who do not have any kind of a store. My parents lived on a farm miles from anywhere and my mum kept a huge store of food. So I always have too although getting to the shops is not such an issue for my generation. I would estimate that we could manage for food especially during the summer months when we have fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden to supplement my pantry for at least three months and maybe six. Water would be our problem. We are away for the winter at the moment and I emptied most of my pantry basics into our RV I have only had to buy fresh salad and fruit pretty much. I will have to start over when we get home at the end of March restocking my pantry, canning cupboard and cold store. I ran out of flour for bread so did have to buy some here. I brought my seed catalogues with me and the seeds and seed potatoes have all been delivered to my daughter ready for starting at the end of March.

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Julie,
      Thanks for stopping by. Don’t let your friends make you feel bad, You know that in an emergency of any sort YOU will be able to feed your family. And it is so nice to know you have what you need on hand. One of my sister in laws thinks it is crazy to have so much food on hand but oh well. Water is an issue for me also I have a lot stored but it takes up a lot of room so I don’t have near as much as I wish. I am trying to figure out how to store more water.
      Have a great day and thank you for responding to the question.
      Connie

  3. Leigh

    I love having a deep pantry and money stash. Life has happened to us at times and having reserves is helpful to getting through tough times. I pinned your money stash post and appreciate your thoughts!
    Blessings, Leigh

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Leigh,
      Thanks. And isn’t such a good feeling knowing that you have that.
      Have a great say
      Connie

  4. Rose

    Nina,
    My DH and I love home canned soup. Several years ago someone posted a recipe for soup starter on the internet. She has taken her site down because I cannot find it now and I don’t remember the name of it. I wish I could remember, she had a lot of great ideas. This soup starter is just that- with barley, potatoes carrots and celery, you then just add your own meat and any other vegetables you may want.

    Per quart jar you add: 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp beef bouillon, 2 TB pearl barley, handful of peeled sliced carrots, handful of chopped celery, and add peeled, cubed potatoes to fill the jar. Add hot water and process for 75 min. adjusting for altitude. To serve, add cooked or canned beef, burger or chicken and misc veggies/seasonings, if desired. Heat and serve.

    It’s delicious! The barley is kind of clumped at the bottom of the jar, but it is just fine. I love this for a quick, easy week night meal and is a great way to use leftovers.

      1. Nina

        Thank you so much. I’m 65 years old and it’s so amazing to get new ideas. I never, ever thought about canning up recipes like Mongolian Chicken!! Now why, who knows! Learning to think outside the box is really exciting. I went back to work part-time and my hubby is so-o-o tired of crockpot meals and this will enable me to bring a little something different to the table. We don’t eat processed foods and I fix just about everything from scratch so this is a wonderful site for me. These recipes are very adaptable. The preservation techniques we practice are not new but so much has been lost over time. Mostly, the simple ability to think instead of always being “told” what to think or do. Thanks again.

  5. Marybeth

    I cooked up a big pot of black beans and divided them up into small containers that went into the freezer. This way if I need them last minute I know I have them. Funny everyone is talking about soup. We were very busy yesterday, wasn’t going to have time to make dinner so I pulled out 3 kinds of soup, ham and lentil, pasta fagioli, and chicken noodle. Everyone was happy because they picked their favorites. I was happy because we didn’t get take out.

  6. Mrs.B

    Hi, I am new to your blog and love that you are encouraging others to build a deep pantry. We live on the Montana prairie out in the country and grow a large garden each summer and raise our own livestock. My Mr.B and our children are also hunters. Thus, our pantry and freezer is filled for the year each autumn. Case lot sales occur twice per year where we live. I purchase anything we do not produce ourselves at the end of summer case lot sale. We also use three 50 gallon water drums to store fresh water, just in case our electricity goes out for a few days … no electricity equals no power to pump the water well. When our winters are harsh and we find ourselves snowed in, it is so very comforting to know that we have all we need while waiting for the plows to arrive.
    Although we will not begin planting our garden until May, I am already taking inventory of our saved seeds and planning our 2017 plots.

    Blessings,
    Mrs.B

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Mrs. B,
      Thanks for stopping by. Seems like I just can’t stress enough how important a deep pantry is (as I can see you know), Plus it feels so good that that is one thing in a crisis situation that is one less thing you have to worry about. We also have case lot sale twice a year which I love, I try to do and grow as much of our own but there are just some things you can’t and if my garden doesn’t do well (like last year) then I can fall back on this. We are the same as far as planting, We don’t even think about planting until the first of June end of may. I am trying a few things different this year so I have been trying to get it all figured out and deciding what to plant I am wanting to expand a little this year and add a few things different like broom corn, and lofa (sponges) I also want to try some mushrooms hopefully I can get it all together lol.
      Have a great day
      Connie

  7. Jann Olson

    I found a good deal on red peppers this week and bottled some red pepper relish. Also, pulled out my large tin of sugar and realized that I need to restock it. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

  8. Pingback: Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop #102 | My Life Abundant

  9. Pingback: Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop | SimpleStepsForLivingLife